Abdominal retractor attachment



March 2, 1954 c. M. zo| ET AL ABDOMINAL RETRACTOR ATTACHMENT 2 She-e ts-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 11. 1952 INVENTOki C'Q ZAZ ZkZZ zllmfk ATTORNEY March 2, 1954 M20 ETAL 2,670,731

ABDOMINAL. RETRACTOR ATTACHMENT Filed Feb. 11, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 E 7- INVENTORS @/'Z 1.? [all Willz'amjf. kzdZzegi BY I ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 2, 1954 umren STATES 4 Parent creme em meme: and minim Ktflflmmn Ganthiut, New Orleans,

ApplicationTFcbruary 11, 1952, SeriaTN'o. 2711,9 76

7 ohms. 1

This invention relates to surgical appliances and has special reference to an extension device for the arms of abdominal retrac'tcrs.

Common forms of abdominal retractors "are well known and a number of varieties of such forms are to betel-1nd in the art wherein a suitable pair of retractcr arms each provided a finger are arranged to move toward and from each other and there be held. When such iforms are used, an incision is made along the median line of the abdomen, the retractofs fingers are brought close together and inserted through this incision so as to engage the skin and the muscles lying elosely thereunder. The arms are then separated, thus epening the abdomen so that the surgeon has full access thereto. Certain of these forms are provided with a third retraetor to spread the lower "part of the incision. In operations, upper part of the incision eannot be 'sufficiently spread and it is the principal s obiect of the present -invention to "provide attaehments for the arms of such a retractor as is above described, the attachment being so arranged as to provide means for spreading the upper part of the incision as maybe desired.

A second important obiec't or the invention is to provide a device for this purpose which may be readily attached to and detached *from the most frequently used abdominal retractors.

A third important object of the invention is J to provide an attachment for the purpose described wherein retractor fingers, forming a part of the attachment, are so arranged that they may b positioned at various places along the length of the incision and there held.

A fourth important object of the inventi'en is to provide an attaclnnent of this kind whenehi the retractor fingers 01 the attachment can be shifted to produce traction in any partlcularwdesired direction so that the engaged can be drawn apart and in the desired fi'irectionsl A fifth important object of the "invention is to provide a retractor attachment wherein retractor fingers of difierent "widths may be used, such fingers "being readily detachable from and attachable to the remainder of the device.

With the above and other objects 'in view, the invention consists in general of certain novel details .of construction and combinations or parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated. in the accompanying drawings, and parineularly claimed.

In the accompanying drawin s. like characters of reference indicate like mats: in the several views and:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a common form of aladomma l metractur hammg. the novel attaehmeat applied therein, the latter being shown by and lines in several positions.

Fig. 2 is a of the device as shown in 1.

Fig. 3 is a eectinn on the line .3--3 cf Fig. .1.

4 is an enlarged secticm on the line 4-1 of me. it.

Fig. .5 is :a detailed view at one end of a certain extension emu used herein.

Fig. his :a fietailcd view :of one or the giaws or g members used main.

Fig. l? is t8. perspective view of one of the clamp members taken from the side opposite Rig. 6.

attachment mrmmg the present invention has been shown in rmmection with the .retractor covered by patent to H. M. Bria, No. 1,311,313 of duly .29., 11-919.. However, other abdominal retraotors are-in use and it is not to be understood, hecau-se of the showing of the Erie .retractor, that the present invention is in any way restricted to any particular abdominal retractor but .is intended to be used with all such .retrac'tors as are most commonly used in hospitals and by surgeons. The type of retraotor for which the present invention is best adapted for use is the type which has a pair of arms .11] movable toward and from each other .as along supporting bars I 1 each of the .arms havingat its free end a curved retractor finger 1.1 here shown as formed .from a loop of wine.

The present invention. includes a clamp having a pair of sum'lar jaws 12 and 13.. clamp has a body portion 18 provided at its end with a lip 45, its other end having clamped jaws provided with portions 16 offset away from each other and provided with lips 11.. This arrangement enables the free end of one of the arms 1'0 to be grasped between the jaws of the clamp. A bolt '18 extends throu h the portions 111 of this clamp and provided with a. head 1!!v on one end and threaded on its other end to receive a wing-nut .211. Thus may be tightly attached to the arm. The. clamp 1'3 has on one face of the portion 13 a serratedbnss '2] and is provided with a stud or pivot 22 extending centrally from the boss 21. Each ofthc extensions used in this inventlon has also an extension arm of flat, elongated vfomi as shown at 23, and on the end of this arm- .is a serrated boss 23 provided. with an s25 centrally thereof. The pivot .22 extends through. opening 21': and .on the and m mantis mounted a butterfly nut 26. By means of this arrangement the 6; arm 23 can be set at any desired angle to the arm and there securely locked, the serrations at 2| and 24 providing against slipping out of place while the device is in use and thus preventing injury being done to the patient by sudden slipping of the parts while the surgeon is operatmg.

Each of the arms 23 is provided with a longitudinally extending slot 28 wherethrough extends a headed bolt 29, the boltbeing thus slidable toward and from the pivot 22. It is to be understood that the arms 23 may be of any desired width and thickness and also may be of any desired length found bestadapted for use.

Each of the extension arms '23 carries a retractor finger preferably having-one end fiat' as at 30 to fit against an arm 23, the other end of the retractor finger being curved as at 3| in a manner corresponding with the curvature of such retractor fingers as are shown at H. The retractor fingers 31 may be of any desired width and each of the devices of this invention, when ready for use, may be provided with two-or more such fingers as 3! having different widths.v Between the head of the bolt 29 and the flat portion 30 of the retractor fingers, there is interposed a washer 32. Fitted on the threaded end of the bolt 29 is a butterfly nut 33.; The fiat portion of the retractor finger has a slot 35 through which the bolt 29 passes. This arrangement of the slots 28 and 35 in connection with the bolt 29 and butterfly nut 33 enables the retractor finger end 3| to be shifted inwardly or outwardly from the opposite retractor finger and also to he held at any desired position on the pivot bolt 29.

It will now be obvious that the present attachment may be quickly fitted to or removed from such an abdominal retractor as is shown in Fig. 1 and that a wide range of adjustments may be made in the form and relationship of the fingers 3| to enable the surgeon to have access to any parts of the exposed portion of the abdomen that may be necessary to enable an operation to be properly performed without danger of any slippage causing unwanted movement of the surgeons hand or instrument and danger to the patient. 1

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with a retractor for ab dominal operations, said retractor having a pair of inflexible arms each having a free end provided with a retractor finger; of extension members each detachably and pivotally mounted on the free end of one of said arms, retractor fingers each slidably and pivotally attached to 2. respective extension member and adjustable longitudinally, transversely, and angular with respect thereto, and a single means to secure said last fingers in adjusted positions.

2. The combination with a retractor for abdominal operations, said retractor having a pair of inflexible arms each having a ireeend provided with a retractor finger; Of extension members on said arms, a clamp securing each said member and adapted for detachable engagement with a respective arm, said members being pivotally mounted on said clamps and having angular adjustments with respect to said arms, means to secure said members in adjusted positions, and retractor fingers attached to said members.

3. The combination with a retractor for abdominal operations, said retractor having. a pair of inflexible arms each having a free end provided with a retractor finger; of extension mem- 4 bers on said arms, a clamp securing each said member and adapted for detachable engagement with a respective arm, said members being pivotally mounted on said clamps and having angular adjustments with respect to said arms, means to secure said members in adjusted positions, and retractor fingers attached to said members and slidably adjustable therealong, and

. means to secure said fingers in adjusted positions.

4. The combination with a retractor for abdominal operations, said retractor having a pair of inflexible arms each having a free end provided with a retractor finger; of extension members on said arms, a clamp securing each said member and adapted for detachable engagement with a respective arm, said members being pivotally mounted on said clamps and having angular adjustments with respect to said arms, means to secure said members in adjusted positions, and retractor fingers attached to said members and pivotally adjustable thereon and slidably adjustable therealong, and means to secure said fingers in adjusted positions.

5. In an attachment for abdominal retractors having a pair of rigid arms, a pair of clamps each having a pair of jaws grasping the respective retractor arm, screw means to draw said arms toward each other, an extension arm having one end pivoted on a respective jaw, means to secure said extension arms in desired pivoted positions, retractor fingers adjustably mounted on respective extension arms, and means to secure the fingers in adjusted positions on the arms.

6. In an attachment for abdominal retractors having a pair of rigid arms, a pair of clamps each having a pair of jaws grasping the respective retractor arm, screw means to draw said arms toward each other, an extension arm having one end pivoted on a respective jaw, means to secure said extension arms in desired pivoted positions, retractor fingers adjustably mounted on respective extension arms, said extension arms each having a longitudinal slot, pivot bolts slidable in said slots and having said fingers mounted thereon, and a nut on each of said bolts to secure the respective fingers in adjusted positions on the arms.

7. In an attachment for abdominal retractors having a pair of rigid arms, a pair of clamps each having a pair of jaws-grasping the respective retractor arm, screw means to draw said arms toward each other, an extension arm having one end pivoted on a respective jaw, means to secure said extension arms in desired pivoted positions, retractor fingers adjustably mounted on respective extension arms, said extension arms each having a longitudinal slot, pivot bolts slidable in said slots and having said fingers mounted thereon, said fingers having longitudinal slots through which said pivot bolts pass, and a nut on each of said bolts to secure the respective fingers in adjusted positions on the arms.

CARL MICHAEL ZOLL. WILLIAM KOHLMAN GAUTHIER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Weider June 14, 1949 

